Denture retainer



June 2, 1959 FIG;

IIVVENTOR. DUDLEY D. LEVY wwit ATTORNE Y5 Un e S a s: Pate DENTURE RETAINER Dudley D. Levy, New York, NY. Application June 14, 1955, Serial No. 515,295

6 Claims. (Cl. 32-2) The present invention is concerned with a denture retainer. More particularly, the invention has especial relation to an accessory adapted to be attached to a denture for the purpose of retaining it against undesired displacement in the wearers mouth.

The problem of preventing undesired displacement of artificial teeth dentures is one of long standing, and manifold efforts have been made by those skilled in the auto provide a satisfactory solution therefor. A not inconsiderable number of considerations have to be taken into account in this relation.

Thus, there must be no annoyance (pain, undue pressure, friction, etc.) to the wearer of the denture; the accessory must be readily attachable to a pre-existing denture; the accessory must be immune to the action of the influences (saliva, etc.) to which it may be subjected in the wearers mouth; the retainer must be efficient in its retaining action and, to this end, preferably should be attachable at the most efiective point or points on the denture; the accessory must bereadi-ly manufactured and Without undue expense; etc.

It is a primary object of the present invention to embody a denture retainer which satisfactorily solves the aforesaid problem and is free of all undesired characteristics of the type afore-enumerated, while possessing the desired features.

Briefly stated, this problem is realized according to the tially of a base portion surmounted by a pair of spaced, parallel ribs. The thus-constituted retainer-which is hereinafter described in greater detail-is attachable to the denture at an appropriate point, i. e. at such point at which, in the dentists opinion, taking into account the structure of the wearers mouth, it will exert a maximum and/or optimum retaining action. Generally, a plurality of such retainers will be employed, severally positioned at the points on the denture where they will do the most good.

The accompanying drawings illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 being a view in perspective of one embodment of the retainer according to this invention;

Fig. 2 being a view in perspective of a somewhat differently shaped retainer embodiment;

Fig. '3 being a view, also in perspective, of a master sheet from which the individual retainers may be cut or stamped;

Fig. 4 being a perspective view of a denture with retainers according to the present invention attached thereto; and

Figs. 5 and 6 being, respectively, sectional views taken along lines 5-5 and 66 of Fig. 4.

Referring first to the structure shown in Fig. 3, i. e. that hereinbefore referred to as the master sheet, it will be seen that this comprises a one-piece structure comprising a base 10 and a plurality of spaced sets of upstanding ribs 11, 11. By appropriate means, such as a conventional cutting or stamping tol or machine or the ice 2 like individual retainers 12 (Fig. 1) or 13 (Fig. 2) or the like may be manufactured from the master sheet. As is evident from Figs. 1 and 2, each retainer comprises a base portion 10 surmounted by ribs 11, 11, as aforesaid.

The master sheet is preferably manufactured by casting a resinous composition, such as a vinyl chloride polymer, i.e. a linear chain compound produced by the polymerization of the vinyl chloride monomer. This essentially colorless thermoplastic resin maintains its inherent high strength even when plasticized to give a flexible material, the form in which it is here employed. The material is exceptionally resistant to the deleterious action of chemicals, to moisture and to abrasion. The master sheet may, however, also be fabricated from other flexible plastic and non-toxic material, such for example as polyethylene. Instead of casting or molding, the sheet may be extruded or made by any other method conventional in the art.

The base portion is of course very thin, its thickness being of the order of thousandths of an inch, for example from about two to about five thousandths. The ribs 11 are of a similar order of thickness, their upward extent being about ten thousandths of an inch. The space or channel which extends between each pair of ribs is just wide enough so that a rib, when flattened (see e.g. Fig. 5 or 6), can be received therein without overlapping onto the adjacent rib.

In accordance with the present invention, the retainers-usually about three-are attached at appropriate spots to the denture which is to be fixed in position in the wearers mouth. The precise points of attachment should be determined by the dentist, after an examination of the patients mouth and an evaluation of the situation in view of the particular tissue shrinkage which has taken place in such mouth and to which the looseness of the denture may be ascribed.

Fig. 4 is solely illustrative of one possible solution of such a problem but, as indicated, each case has to be determined on the basis of its own facts. Attachment of the retainer is effected, according to the presently preferred procedure, by applying an extremely thin coating of adhesive to the unribbed side of the retainer and, if desired invention. by a plastic structure which consists essenor necessary, also to the surface of the denture at the point at which the retainer is to be attached. Since the adhesive joint may be impaired by the presence of foreign matter, it is desirable to thoroughly clean the denture at the point of application of the retainer. Any suitable adhesive may be employed for realizing the said joint. In general, the vinyl adhesives are preferred for the purposes of the invention. These adhesives are possessed of rapid setting characteristics, which is of course desirable when, for example, the attachment of the retainers is to be effected while the patient waits. The vinyl adhesives are essentially free from taste and odor. A particularly strong bond between the retainer and the material of the denture (which may e.g. be an acrylic or a metal or the like) may be realized by means of a polyvinyl acetate adhesive or, in order to obtain enhanced water and chemical resistance, an adhesive produced from vinyl chlorideacetate copolymers may be employed. Other adhesives such as those of copolymers of vinylidene chloride and vinyl chloride may also be used. In general, as afore said, the adhesive layer should be as thin as possible, but care should be taken that it is sufliciently thick to eliminate possibility of a starved joint. With the materials here involved, film thicknesses as low as 2 miles may be fabricated.

The effectiveness of the retainers according to the invention depends upon the fact that, in use, the retainers are positioned between the denture-with which they are essentially integrated-and the mouth tissue, and that in such position the ribs 11 are flattened (as shown in Figs. 5 and 6) so that when a force is exerted which tends to 3 displace the denture, the ribs function as teeth which, in effect, dig into the tissue and effectually prevent any displacement. The ribs are so flexible and the digging in action is so infinitesimal that the wearer is not at all aware thereof and suflers no discomfort whatever there from. The retaining action may be characterized as a sort of microscopic pawl and ratchet type of action which efliciently holds the denture in desired position.

A feature of the invention is that the retainers can be provided to the dental profession in master sheet form, so that the dentist can cut therefrom the precise size of retainer that is required for a particular situation. On the other hand, the manufacturer can supply the retainers already cut into a large variety of shapes and sizes, so that the dentist may select the ones best suited to any particular situation. Moreover, the attachment of the retainer to the denture can be effected by the dentist himself at the appropriate point and in appropriate relation to the tissue to which it will, in use, be juxtaposed; and such attachment merely requires applying a thin coating of adhesive to the unribbed side of the retainer, on the one hand, and to the affixing point on the denture, on the other hand, after which the joint is allowed to set. If necessary, this may be accelerated by the use of heat or the like. By properly positioning the retainers, the denture Will thereafter be securely held thereby against undesired displacement in the wearers mouth. The retainers may be applied to all types of dentnres uppers, lowers, partials; they are substantially immune to deterioration under the conditions prevailing in the human mouth; and they can be kept quite as clean as the denture itself.

It will thus be apparent that the invention provides a structure which realizes the object of the invention as aforestated.

Having thus disclosed the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A denture retainer consisting of a soft flexible plastic base and a pair of spaced parallel ribs extending upwardly and transversely of said base and defining a channel therebetween which is of a width not less than the upward extent of the ribs, said ribs extending upwardly a distance greater than the thickness of said base, said plastic being acid and alkali resistant, whereby the unribbed side of said base may be atfixed to a denture so that, in position in the wearers mouth, the ribs are lo cated between the denture and the juxtaposed mouth tisasssgme sue and exert a force against the latter in a direction to prevent undesired displacement of the denture.

2. A denture retainer blank consisting of a sheet of flexible plastic material having a plurality of spaced sets of spaced parallel ribs, each set defining a channel between the ribs thereof which is of a width not less than the upward extent of the ribs, said sets of ribs being spaced from each other a distance at least as great as the length of the denture retainers to be cut therefrom, whereby a denture retainer of desired base configuration and size may be cut therefrom, said denture retainer consisting essentially of a one-piece soft flexible plastic baseand-rib construction, the rib being substantially the same thickness as said base extending upwardly a distance greater than the thickness of said base and transversely of said base, said plastic being acid and alkali resistant.

3, A denture retainer according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the base and of the ribs is of the order of .005 inch or less.

4. A denture retainer according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the base is of the order of .005 inch, the thickness of the ribs is of the order of .005 inch, and the outward extent of the ribs from the base is of the order of .010 inch.

5. A denture retainer comprising a soft flexible plastic base and a rib integral therewith and having substantially the same thickness as said base and projecting upwardly from one side of said base a distance greater than the thickness of said base, said rib extending transversely of said base, the edges of said base being the same thickness as said base, said plastic being acid and alkali resistant.

6. A denture retainer comprising a soft flexible plastic base and a n'b integral therewith and having substantially the same thickness as said base and projecting upwardly from one side of said base a distance greater than the thickness of said base, said rib extending transversely of said base for the full width thereof, the edges of said base being the same thickness as said base, said plastic being acid and alkali resistant.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

